About COL._Von_Spanker

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The cheap eggbeaters will wear out quickly if you used them for cross or in muddy conditions. I had a pair that lasted about two races.
I switched to the candy 2's and have been happy with them Shimano SPD's are definately one of the more durable as are the times. I have some of both that have lasted a long time (10+ years) but I haven't found anything that beats the candy's for cross racing.

What up Y'all. I got a bike co. now.
Flat vs. Drop: I bet if you did a visual survy of commuters on the Burke or Dexter you would find about 2% actually riding in the drops. That said I still prefer my drop bar bike. Also, with the 'performance' fit becoming more common added to 10cm of steertube spacers and a upright stem for a comfort fit there isn't much need for drop bars. I usually only get in my drops when I'm racing.
Pack vs. Panniers: I love the idea of panniers, especially when my back starts to hurt after toting my laptop and papers and other commuter crap. But alas, I can't bring myself to put a rack on the bike that I also train on on the weekends.
Don't do disc brake frame conversions, they don't work well. Disc brakes are far superior to canti's and dual-pivot. THERE WILL be people who say "I get plenty of stopping power from my regular brakes". Well I'm sure there are people who will say they get plenty of stopping power on their drum brakes on their '72 honda motorcycle, that doesn't mean dual Brembo's are a bad idea. And people said the same thing about v-brakes, and hydrolic brakes and disc brakes.
I ride 12+ hours a week all year round on both styles and for commuting and winter ride discs are phenomenal.
-No rim slurry
-Out of true rims are inconsequential
-Brake pads last a LONG time
-Less force to stop quickly (different than more stopping power)
That said I still race with dualpivots dura-ace setup, but we don't use the brakes that much...
If you have additional questions feel free to hit me up:
geoff@baronbicycles.com